Seal for floating roof tanks



Jan. 16, 1951 F. L. GOLDSBY ETAL 2,537,936

SEAL FOR FLOATING ROOF TANKS Filed Nov. 26, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jam 1951 F. L. GOLDSBY ET AL 2,537,986

SEAL FOR FLOATING ROOF TANKS Filed Nov. 26, 1945 2 Sheetr ='-Sheet 2 40 Egg 2. /0 J 95.

i w I 77 l e /6 W1 A3 2 J I V6 135 5 a a l l l I 42. 56 736/ J GaZd 'g Patented Jan. 16, 1951 2,537,986 SEAL FOR FLOATING ROOF TANKS Fred L. Goldsby and Clifford M. Orr, Chicago, Ill.. assignors to Chicago Bridge & Iron Company, a corporation of Illinois Application November 26, 1945, Serial No. 630,841

"tank shell.

4 Claims. '1

This invention relates to a floating roof tank, and particulary to a seal for a floating roof tank for sealing the area between the tank shell and the floating roof.

drawings.

embodiment of the invention.

The arms maximum. The curved arms suspended from them.

is of annular shape, extending around the tank,

that

At the top of the seal Mia The As shown, the seal 18a has a con- It has become common practice to store vola- 5 top edge of the roof over the annular channel l1, tile liquids in a tank having a roof that floats on and down along the shell Ill. The sealing mem top of the liquid. The roof rises and falls as the her, which is preferably a fabric impregnated contents of the tank is increased and decreased. with an impervious, flexible soiid material, may In these tanks there is an annular area between be made in two sections with one section l8 exthe edge of the roof and the inner surface of the 10 tending between the roof and the channel l1,

It is necessary to provide sealing and the other section |8a extending from the means to seal this area off, in order to prevent channel down along the shell. It is preferred, evaporation of the stored liquid and contaminahowever, that the two sections [8 and Illa be tion by water, dirt, and the like. We have inmade of one continuous strip.

vented an improved seal that is easy to install There is also provided a secondary seal l9 atand is light in weight. The new seal provides a tached to the channel ii and normally pressing positive sealing action between the edge of the against the inner surface of the shell ID. This floating roof and the inner surface of the tank secondary seal is preferably made of a fabric imshell, and can adjust itself to varying distances pregnated with a flexible impervious material. between the edge of the roof and the shell. The two edges of the secondary seal l9 and the The invention will be described as related to flexible sealing members 18 and Mia are fastened the embodiments shown in the accompanying to the channel I! by means of bolts 20 passing Of the drawings Fig. l is a fragmenthrough the channel l'l, sealing member l8, sectary plan view of a floating roof tank embodyondary seal I9, and an annular pressure bar 2| ing this invention with portions broken away for which may be merely an additional thickness of clarity of illustration; Fig. 2 is a vertical section fabric or loop of fabric. taken along line 2-2 of Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a The portion [8a of the flexible seal l8 view similar to Fig. 2, but showing an alternate hangs down along'the shell is preferably provided with a plurality of spaced wear strips 22 extend- The floating roof tank shown in the accoming horizontally around the seal lBa, although panying drawings comprises a substantially cythey may also extend vertically. The wear strips lindrical shell it, a floating roof I l therein, and 22 as shown are continuous circumferential strips a seal l2 extending between the edge of the roof preferably made integral with the seal 18a, and and the inner surface of the shell. have raised surfaces.

The seal structure comprises a plurality of there is provided another wear strip 23 located spaced, upwardly-extending curved arms [3 fasopposite the support channel member l1. tened to the vertical edge of the floating roof. wear strips 22 and 23 are made of an abrasion- 13 are rotatably mounted between resistant material. spaced pairs of brackets M. The bottom of each The flexible seal 1811 may hang freely fr m the ar I3 is o d W a W lyend supporting channel 1?, but it is preferred that a portion l5 adapted to press against the side of weight be provided on the bottom of the seal in the roof and limit outward rotation of the arms order to give a positive hold-down action. As l3. These downwardly-extending portions l5 shown in Fig. 2 this weight comprises spaced y have ny ir n lar rela ion hip with chains 24 with each chain extending from the the main body of the arms, depending upon the bottom of the seal 18a to the bottom portion of rotational distance of arms 13 that is desired. t roof As Shown y dotted lines in the '00 Sides tinuous reinforcing bar 25 at the bottom of a of the portions l5 rest against the roof when length slightly less than the smallest circumrotational movement has reached the desired ference of the shell, and the chain 24 is attached 3 may o e by means of a ring 26 held in a hole 21' through mounted on p 0f the roof With the Seal fabric the bottom of the seal 18a and the reinforcing bar 25. The other end of the chain 24 is attached A the D 0f c C rved arm [3 there is 10- to the roof by means of a second ring 28 held in cated a hingedly mounted support l6 carrying a hole 29 located in a lateral extension of the an inverted U-shaped channel ll. This channel bottom of the roof.

In Fig. 3 an alternate means is shown for holding down the seal I8a. This comprises a plurality of rods 30 extending from the bottom of the seal 18a to a point near the top of the roof. The upper end of each rod 30 is held in a vertical slot 3| located in the upper part of a bracket Ma. The bottom end of each rod 3%) is rotatably held against a reinforcing bar 25 located at the bottom of the seal l8a by means of a clamp 32.

The chains 24 and the rods 38 not only serve as Weighting means to hold down the seal fabric but also serve as pull-downs to loosen the seal fabric if it sticks to the shell when the roof starts down after a period of rest.

The roof edge of the seal I8 may be attached to the roof in any desired manner. As shown, the attaching means comprises spaced hooks 33 holding a rod 34 clamped against the edge of the seal it by a wedge 35 driven between each hook 33 and rod 34.

When the floating roof tank contains liquid irregular settlement of the foundation, wind, and other factors may cause the tank shell to get out of round. The seal shown and described herein readily adapts itself to such out-of-roundness because supporting arms !3 are rotatably mounted, and the weight of the seal causes the upper ends of the arms to move outward toward the shell. Two possible positions of a supportin arm l3 are shown in Fig. 2, with the second position being shown in dotted lines.

Having described our invention as related to typical embodiments of the same, it is our intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description unless otherwise stated, but rather be construed broadly within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

We claim:

1. In a floating roof tank having an outer shell and a floating roof therein, sealing means comprising a plurality of hangers pivoted to the side walls of the roof and extending upwardly above the top of the roof toward the shell, carrier means fastened to the shell ends of the hangers, and

a flexible impervious sealing member extending from the roof over the carrier means and over the hangers and hanging down along the inner surface of the shell into the liquid within the tank.

2. The sealing means of claim 1 wherein there is provided a secondary sealing member carried by the carrier means and normally pressing against the inner surface of said shell.

3. The sealing means of claim 1 wherein the portion of the sealing member hanging down along the shell is provided with a plurality of raised buffers extending toward the shell.

4. In a floating roof tank comprising a cylindrical outer shell and a cylindrical floating roof therein, a sealing means comprising a plurality of upwardlyextending hanger arms spaced around the roof and extending from the edge of the roof toward the shell, said hanger arms being hingedly connected to the side walls of the roof and extending above the top thereof, an annular carrier member hingedly attached to the outer ends of the hanger arms, a flexible impervious sealing member extending from the roof over the carrier member and over the hanger arms and hanging down along theinner surface of the shell between the roof and the shell, said sealing member being arranged loosely between the roof and the carrier member, a plurality of raised buffers extending toward the shell on the portion of the sealing member hanging down from the carrier member, stop means carried by the roof ends of the hanger arms to limit outward rotational movement of said hanger arms, Weighting and pull-down means attached to the bottom portion of the sealing member to aid in holding down saidmember, and an annular secondary sealing member carried by the carrier means and normally pressing against the inner surface of the shell.

FRED L. GOLDSBY. CLIFFORD M. ORR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,660,021 Wiggins Feb. 21, 1928 1,865,969 Schurmann July 5, 1932 1,871,289 Wiggins Aug. 9, 1932 1,930,053 Hampton Oct. 17, 1933 2,318,135 Wiggins May 4, 1943 2,426,755 Ulm .a Sept. 2, 1947 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,537,986 January 16, 1951 FRED L. GOLDSBY ET AL.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correctlon as follows:

Column 4, line 47, list of references cited, for the patent number 1,930,053, read 1,930,953; a

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oifice.

Signed and. sealed this 5th day of June, A. D. 1951.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Oommissz'aner of Patents. 

